Ryburn - Replacing fingerposts around the area.

Today, ideal work for a bank holiday - finishing-off several jobs which needed fingerposts.

Last Friday, Jak, Richard and Angus spent the day refurbishing a couple of old fingerposts and installing a couple of new ones. Richard's artwork on the lettering means these new posts can be seen for miles! Again this has been funded through donations to CROWS. Many thanks to all who have contributed.

Today five of us - Jak, Lynda, Jerry, Richard and Angus - were out in one vehicle and visiting four sites. We loaded up and headed to a couple of paths (below Krumlin) where Jak and Jerry tackled a post replacement off Bottomley Lane, whilst Lynda, Richard and Angus, headed to Hey Lane above Black Brook to install a new post.

 

Locations of fingerposts circled in blue.

Have fingerposts. Will travel! . . . but not upwards!

Both locations required some cutting-back, with the steps at Hey Lane being particularly slippery with leaf mulch. Despite the rain of the last couple of days, the ground was still very dry and this, coupled with stony conditions, made the digging particularly tough. . . , but we got there. 

We always try to make best use of existing materials, especially if the post is in good order and it is only the flag itself which needs replacing. 

A refurbished post was fitted at Bottomley Lane and a completely new one at Hey Lane.

The path entrance off Hey Lane when we arrived.

 

New post at Hey Lane on the left, and a refurbished one at Bottomley Lane on the right.

After a coffee, we headed up to the Bridleway running along Kennel Lane, above Noah Dale Clough, where the original post had rotted at ground level and subsequently 'disappeared'! 

We were grateful to the owners of School Farm for allowing us to park on their drive which reduced the distance we had to carry tools and materials. 

Jak and Lynda headed along the bridleway to cut-back some of the worst of the overgrowth, whilst Jerry, Richard and Angus tackled the post replacement. This time the digging was a bit easier as the post had originally been secured with stones, although a couple of "dead men" nails made its final extraction a bit tricky.

Location of fingerpost circled in blue at the end of Kennel Lane.

Not much left of the original post !!

The new one can be seen for miles !

The last job was to replace a plastic waymark flag on a post on Bowood Lane. This is not our favourite type of flag but that's what was in place originally . . . and we have a stock of them. Whilst there, we also rebuilt part of the access where the path goes through a drystone wall, making it wider and safer.

Location (circled in blue) of the waymark flag off Bowood Lane.

Last job of the day completed.